AN: Hey everyone. Finally back from vacation. It was very nice and we had a wonderful time in Sweden, going to Lisberg theme-park and High Chaparral, a western theme park. If any of you ever get a chance to go there, I can highly recommend the 'stunt show' 'the Annie and Billy show' and Lucky Luke shows'. They were amazing and fun, even if you don't understand Swedish.
We were a little unlucky though when we got back though. During our vacation, my in-laws who are absolutely awesome, took care of our birds and the day after we brought them home, one of our birds started showing signs of not being okay. We did our best to care for him and hoped we could get an appointment with our vet, but he passed away that night. In fairness, he was an old boy, a little yellow and green budgie, and while it's sad he's gone, and my daughter took the lose about as well as a 7-year-old can, we're at least happy that he's no longer suffering and is at peace.
The Thread Which Connects Us
"Jojo? Help please?"
Three little words. Three little softly spoken words were all it had taken for Jophiel to nearly lose her usual graceful composure. At the time, Jophiel had been sitting peacefully in her room, stitching together a small stuffed toy for the twins. The toys were supposed to look like them, a little rag doll angel that he could cuddle with when they slept at night so that they could try and get the pair to sleep in different nests at night.
Sera had been complaining about the two having difficulty falling asleep at night because Samael kept playing or giggling with Michael and in the morning their feathers were always a mess as Michael tended to thread his fingers and sometimes even wings into Samael's, making them a tangled ball of feathers that no one could find the end or beginning on.
Jophiel had seen it once and thought it was adorable how close the pair were. Sera was annoyed because it meant she needed to spend extra time in the morning getting the pair ready and presentable.
"Oh my-" Jophiel gasped as she struggled to stifle a giggle when she saw the state Azrael, Michael, and Samael were in. "Wha-(giggle)- what happened to you three?"
* * * Earlier that day... * * *
The day had started with all the siblings sitting around and preening the twins' feathers. They had split into groups, Jophiel, Raphael, Camael and Zadkiel had settled around Samael, and Sera, Uriel, Gabriel, Ariel, and Azrael were gathered around Michael who needed extra help in untangling his feathers from each other. The pair had been pretty tangled into each other and it didn't help that Samael thought it was funny as Sera struggled to separate them, the little boy latching onto Michael as hard as he could while yelling out in joy 'My Mikey!' before Uriel stepped in and started to tickle the baby's sides.
Once they were untangled, Jophiel happily grabbed Samael tucked him into her lap, and set about preening his lower wings while Raphael preened his left upper wings and Camael and Zadkiel worked with his ring wings. Samael had adored the attention, cooing softly in Jophiel's embrace as they worked their fingers through the long flight feathers and straightened them.
"They're so big," Zadkiel commented at some point as she stretched out Samael's middle wing, trying to measure how long the wingspan was. "Look. I think they're almost twice as big as he is."
She wasn't wrong. They had all been born with large wings. That was normal. In general, their middle wings were their largest, stretching each to the same length as their height, but Samael's seemed to be nearly, if not more, double his height. Jophiel figured it was just a matter of him growing into them, thinking she thought the other's had large wings too as fledglings but when she glanced over at Michael who was hugging Uriel tightly, she couldn't help but feel his wings weren't nearly as large as Sammy's.
"He'll grow into them," Uriel assured as he threaded his fingers through a slightly large tangle of feathers and gently pulled out three loose ones. "Does that feel better, Michael?"
Before Michael could answer, Sera cleared her voice, clearly annoyed that she was being kept out of the conversation, getting a few muttered 'sorry Sera' in the process. Sera had been pretty moody ever since Samael had run off from the lessons and Gabriel had had to catch their youngest from trying to fly. They had all been horrified to see the disheveled Gabriel enter the main room with a sleeping Samael, the seasoned flier having clearly crashed recently. It had taken a lot for all of them not to start talking on top of each other and waking Samael up before Gabriel could explain a bit as to what had happened which went about as well as any of them thought it would.
Uriel had all but lost it, yelling at Sera that it was unreasonable to expect them to spend an entire day inside learning to which Sera just as heatedly asserted that it was necessary and that they could handle it. Even Gabriel joined slightly in saying it was too much, gesturing to the exhausted Samael in his arms but Sera insisted it was a matter of Samael not applying himself enough.
A fight would have broken out completely if it hadn't been for Michael suddenly crying in Jophiel's arms, expressing his own confusion about the lessons as well as exhaustion and frustration. It had surprised Sera completely because she thought he had understood the lessons she had given but as it turned out he had only managed to remember a few names and nothing else. The little angel had then wailed about how he wanted to play too and it wasn't fair how Samael got to explore and he didn't.
By the end of it, Michael's crying had woken an exhausted Samael up and then they were all stranded with two overly tired fledglings wailing and a rather shameful-looking Uriel and Sera, though their shame was for different reasons. Sera was embarrassed that she hadn't seen that she had pushed them too much and Uriel. Uriel was ashamed he had lost his cool and woken the pair up. It had taken Zadkiel singing to the pair to get them to sleep again, trapping the poor girl between them as they both held onto her gown.
After that, Uriel put his foot down and demanded that Sera cool it with her lesson plan, and come to her fury or Father's rage, Uriel would demand the twins have a break after lunchtime.
This was probably also why Sera was giving the pair a day off from lessons as an apology. Though Jophiel suspected it was because Father intended to visit with them today and see how all his children were doing. It wouldn't look good if the twins looked upset and worn out if that was the case.
Regardless, Jophiel was enjoying her time with their smallest, the little one cooing in pleasure as they fixed his wings and gently combed through his hair. Across from them, Uriel was mirroring her movements with Michael, receiving an equal sound of joy from the older twin. It was adorable, especially when Samael's wings would twitch when a ticklish spot was touched and Michael would squirm when something sensitive was touched. Before long though, it was clear that Samael couldn't stay seated still anymore. He kept shifting about and fiddling the loose feathers they had pulled before Raphael took pity on the child and created an orb of light for him to play with.
Which in the end turned into the twins both tossing the light between each other in a game of catch and impossible to hold on to.
"Michael, hold still," Ariel laughed as his wing flapped out of her hand. "Mikey, we're almost done."
"Give it up Ariel," Uriel laughed as both twins escaped their siblings' hold, laughing as they ran after the rolling ball of light and eager to play. "We'll try and finish up later. Let them play a little."
Jophiel had to nod in agreement. The fact that either of them had sat still long enough for them to preen most of their feathers had been impressive, especially since Samael was often eager to explore and play. Ever since he had discovered the nest of luffs, Samael had started to question whether or not there were other surprises in Heaven that they didn't know of yet. And who could blame him? Ariel had practically vibrated with excitement when Samael showed off the eggshell he had gotten and it had taken Sera hours to get Sammy back from her as Ariel eagerly asked Samael to show her where the nest was.
To say she was heartbroken when she discovered she was too big to get in and see it herself would be an understatement, but Samael being his usual sweet and kind-hearted self, had squeezed back into the little cove and done his best to carry the abandoned nest out with him. Sure it was a little mangled, the nest was a little wider than his arms could stretch, but bless his little innocent heart if he wasn't proud to present the nest to his gushing sister.
It had certainly taken all of them by surprise as Ariel scooped Samael into her arms with a squeal of joyous 'thank you's as she spun them both about in the sky. It had had Sera fretting about on the ground with worry for the baby, though Uriel insisted that Sera was to leave the pair alone as Samael was clearly fine.
He certainly sounded like it from how he was laughing, though he did stumble about a bit when Ariel landed, dizzy from her excited spinning.
Now though, Jophiel smiled as Samael almost immediately hopped out of her lap, completely indifferent to the fact his wings were still a slight mess. Instead, he was fascinated by the orb he and Michael were playing with.
"Michael. Samael," Sera called though it was clear her fingers were itching to stop the pair as they ran off towards a grassy patch of the garden to play. She didn't like that they weren't in her sight nor that they weren't completely finished in being preened. Already she could see Samael's wings were still slightly messy as he dragged them slightly behind him "Be careful you two! You both just got your wings preened, so don't go and get dirty-"
"Sera."
The seraphim gave a small jerk as Uriel calmly called her name in warning before he turned his attention onto Ariel who was trying to sneak away from him. Uriel had been faster though and quickly wrapped his arms around the little thirteen century old angel and tucked her into the same spot in his lap where Michael had just been.
"Let the twins play a little in peace," He kept his tone civil but both Sera and Jophiel knew that it was an order rather than a request. "They've both been very well behaved sitting still for hours getting their wings preened. If they get dirty, they can have another bath and get cleaned up. Let them play."
"Urie!" Ariel let out a little whine as she giggled, trying to wiggle her way out of his hold. "Can't it wait? I want to see if I can find some of the luffs and other nests."
"Right, and when would we get a chance to then? Knowing you, we'll first see you long after Father's come and gone. Let me clean your wings a little at least before you run off. You've got twigs in them." Uriel teased as he hugged his struggling sister close. She blushed slightly gold as she knew he was right. If given the chance, Ariel would more than happily spend most of her time studying the luffs and then worry about her appearance. "I thought so. Come now sweet little sister of mine. Let's tend to those wings."
The pair laughed as Uriel set about giving Ariel's wings quick preening, knowing full well the next time he'd seen his little sister again her thick wavy dark brown hair and soft mint-colored wings were going to be filled with leaves, burrs, and twigs. That was the usual appearance of their nature-loving sister after all, but the four oldest did try to be on top of Ariel's wings or else the girl would allow them to get so tangled that she wouldn't be able to glide much less fly.
Jophiel just gave Sera a reassuring look, understanding their caretaker-turned-sister's worries. Father didn't visit them often these days, his attention more on this possible new idea he had as well as dealing with all the beings beyond Heaven's realm. And given the twins hadn't seen him since the day they woke in the Hatchery, it made sense Sera wanted them to look presentable.
After all, their first impressions had been rather interesting, to say the least. Michael had started crying in fear and Samael, their bundle of surprise and mischief, had been cheerful and reckless, nearly falling out of their father's hand because something had caught his attention. They still weren't sure what it had been that caught his attention, but the innocent newborn had certainly thought Sera and Uriel's panicked expressions were funny as Father barely managed to catch him.
'Things certainly have been more lively since those two were allowed to come out of the Aviary,' Jophiel mused as she watched her siblings slowly form a small preening circle. "Sera? Would you like any help in cleaning out the Aviary? I know it can be quite the daunting task..."
Zadkiel had taken up preening Raphael's wing, his forest green tinted inner feather having always fascinated her. Raphael sat stiffly at first, the boy having always been a little more standoffish compared to their other siblings as well as sensitive. He was certainly very peculiar about who was allowed to touch his wings and how during preening, claiming that sometimes the way it was done could become too much. Ariel and Zadkiel seemed to be the only ones who could touch his wings without being overwhelmed. As Zadkiel worked on Raphael's wings, Raphael started to preen Uriel's wings, he thought it looked more like he was petting his brother's feathers than preening while Gabriel and Camael started to preening Zadkiel's wings, their youngest sister letting out a soft 'coo' sound, not too different from the one the twins would make as well. And as if he was giving in reluctantly, Azrael sat down in front of Ariel to allow her to straighten his black wings
Jophiel and Sera didn't need to join. Like Uriel, they were old enough and well-versed enough to take care of their own wings not to mention Sera and Jophiel had preened each other earlier that morning so their feathers were fine and in place.
If anything, joining the preening circle now would only serve as a bonding exercise between them. Not that Jophiel didn't want to do that, she loved her little brothers and sisters and adored when Uriel would embrace her with his protective wings in a hug, reminding her that while she was the oldest sister to the eight others, to him she would always be his first little sister. And just as she took pride in her role of guiding the youngest as they grew, Uriel always let Jophiel know how thankful he was for her teaching him what it meant to be a big brother.
But today Jophiel had a mission she wanted to complete. A project she had started on ever since Sera had complained about how the twins kept refusing to sleep in separate nests despite her best attempts. However, it was a little comical when Jophiel thought about it because Zadkiel often sought out her siblings on nights when it was raining, and Azrael still tended to sneak into either Gabriel's or Uriel's rooms at night if he felt uneasy. Even Camael had magically appeared sometime during the night sometimes when her emotions would get the better of her and then Jophiel would spend the night comforting the crying redhead and assuring her no matter what had happened earlier between herself and their siblings, she was forgiven and they all loved her regardless.
The only one who never did this was Sera, but Uriel had always said it was because Sera wasn't born the same way the rest of them were, but that didn't bother Jophiel in the least. Sera had been her sister and playmate growing up and had taught her how to maintain the tight curly hair that Jophiel had been gifted with at her birth. Even if she could be a stickler to the rules and could be a little narrow-minded when it came to her goals, Sera had always put their welfare before her own.
Which was why Jophiel wanted to try and help encourage the twins to sleep in their own nests a little, if only just next to each other.
"No thank you Jophiel," Sera gave her a soft smile, one that felt a little condescending as it was a lot like the ones she would give the twins when Samael would ask too many questions. "It's only the Aviary that needs a little cleaning up. Nothing I can't handle on my own."
Jophiel smiled softly as she gave Sera a slight bow. She knew better than to try and try and force her help onto her. When Sera had decided that something was her duty, she wouldn't allow anyone to help her. Jophiel figured it was because she could be stubborn sometimes, though Uriel always said it had to her needed a purpose to fulfill, whatever that meant.
But that was fine. If Sera didn't want her help, then Jophiel had all the more time to focus on her little project. As she followed the same path the twins took to get back to her room, Jophiel smiled as she watched the pair playing with the orb, tossing and kicking it to each other. She could remember doing that too as a child though she and Ariel had tossed it softly to each other as Michael and Samael were trying to put as much strength as possible into their tosses. Not that he was anything dangerous because they didn't have a lot of strength to put into the tosses and their aim was pretty bad.
Which just made their little giggles as they chased the orb all the more sweet.
* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *
Of all the siblings' private rooms, Jophiel's was probably the most aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Spacious and airy, Jophiel had as many windows as possible in the room to allow natural light in. She would have had no glass originally, wanting the space to feel as open and free as possible, but she had learned the hard way that occasionally their father would make it rain. Not that she didn't like the rain, far from it. It was its own form of natural music which she liked. Unlike her siblings, Jophiel had her bed placed in the center of the room, formed in the shape of a circle to remind her of the nest she once had as a child. It was probably also because it still felt like a nest that her little brothers and sisters often spent the first few nights outside of the Aviary snuggled up with her in her bed.
'I wonder which of those two will be the first to seek me out.' Jophiel giggled as she tried to imagine being awoken in the late hours of the night by a crying Michael or a lonely Samael. Knowing the pair though, they would probably appear at the same time, the two practically inseparable.
On the other side of the room, Jophiel had a loom and spindle which she used to make fabric with. Father had given it to her shortly after she left the Aviary and she had asked him for something to create with. Where the material for the fabric came from, she didn't know, but Jophiel took pride in knowing, except for a few outfits, she had provided the fabric for all of her siblings' clothing and had sewn the ones that they wore.
This time however she was going got try and sew a pair of special dolls for the twins to use at night. She had already started on them the day before having cut and sewn the bases for the dolls she planned to make. It would be her fourth and fifth time making them, having made one for herself centuries ago and then one for her sisters Ariel and Zadkiel. She would have made one for Camael as well but she had never shown any interest in those kinds of toys so Jophiel didn't want to force it upon her.
'I'm sure those two will like these,' She thought with a smile as she picked up one of the dolls and continued her work. "Now then... where did I put that thread..."
* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *
Outside the twins were enjoying their reprieve from lessons and lectures, feeling the sun warming their feathers and skin. Michael was laughing loudly as he tossed the orb of magic to Samael who barely managed to swat it back with a flap of his wing. Given how everything had been a few days ago, it was comforting for the pair to be able to just run about and play, laughing to their heart's content. Every once in a while though Samael would stumble in the hem of his robe, sending him almost stumbling into the ground if Michael wasn't fast enough to catch him. He didn't want his baby brother to get scolded again by Sera after all. Not after she had stressed so much that morning that they needed to look their best when Father would come to see them. She even said that the robes they were wearing were special and they needed to keep them clean.
Not that either of them could see a difference in them, they looked exactly like the robes they wore every day, pure white with golden trim on the hems.
Judging by Samael's massive smile and laugh though, he had already forgotten Sera's instructions to be careful, though he was trying to stay clean. Michael wasn't exactly better, the only reason he wasn't getting as dirty as Samael was already was that his robe stopped at mid-calf where as for Samael the robe reached his toes. Sera had been rather upset about it when she had dressed them that morning after a bath. These were the smallest robes they had and yet they were still too big on Samael but what could she do?
"Thanks, Mikey!" Samael laughed as he straightened up and hugged his taller twin tightly, his white wings fluttering with joy before he turned his attention to the ball once more. He was just enjoying not being confined to a room for hours on end and being forced to learn a bunch of facts that made no sense. Today there were no lessons, no lecturing Sera, and best of all, he could freely play with Michael without having Sera pull him away to finish some form of schoolwork. "My turn! My turn!"
"Okay Sammy," Michael laughed as he watched Samael run a little away from him with the ball, clearly wanting to show how strong he was despite his small size. "Kick it to me!"
Michael liked it better when Samael was like this, happy and laughing. There was just something special when Sammy was running around carefree that seemed to make everything feel warmer, better. Maybe it was because Samael didn't have any hidden undertones like Sera sometimes had when she would say something was 'good' but not mean it. Sammy was just more... honest.
* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *
Having escaped the preening circle finally, Azrael had gone off to check on the twins as well as prep himself for what he wanted to show their father when he would arrive. It was tradition that they all share something that they either had learned or discovered when Father came to visit, to show their progress or interest in the world he had gifted them. Usually, it was variations of things they already knew or had done. Uriel would often have scrolls with personal records about them all for Father to read while Gabriel would show off some new flying move he had managed to learn. Raphael and Ariel usually showed off some new plant they had found though this time Azrael knew Ariel was going to go crazy over telling Father about her new study on the luffs they had made and Zadkiel would probably play a song with Camael. As for the twins and Sera... well, she was going to show Father how nice and clean she's keeping them clean and fed, as well as have them recite something they had learned recently.
Azrael chuckled a little at that thought. It would be interesting as to whether or not Samael was going to do that. Their youngest was so full of life and energy, that it was hard to predict what he would do one minute from another. But that just made things interesting.
Resting against the stair banister that led down to the gardens, Azrael sighed in contentment as he allowed the wind to blow gently through his wings before he glared at them. Unlike his siblings, Azrael didn't have the same pure white wings that they had. Instead, like his hair, his feathers were as black as the night sky with an almost dark purple shine to them.
Azrael had never liked his hair or plumage color. The dark feathers against his naturally pale skin make him seem weaker somehow and more fragile. Not to mention they made him stand out like a sore thumb around his siblings who all had mainly white wings. It didn't help either that his silver eyes seemed frosted compared to the others as well as if he was looking through foggy lenses where the other's had these brightly colored eyes. Both of these two things had driven him insane as a fledgling as Sera had reacted as if he was blind or too fragile to be outside when it was the complete opposite. Thankfully Zadkiel had been born not too long after and was the more fragile of the lot, so Sera's focus had shifted easily away from him, for better or worse.
Watching the twins running about in the garden and had to bit back a laugh as he watched Samael stumble on his robes. Azrael hadn't had a lot of time to spend with the twins beyond the preening circles, mostly because he was busy with his studies which Sera oversaw as well. True, she spent most of her time on the twins as they were little but being only nine centuries old, Azrael still needed his older sister to check in on his work and whether or not he understood the material, but beyond that he generally turned to his older siblings for help if he needed it.
"Catch Mikey!"
Azrael watched as Samael dramatically moved to kick the orb with all his strength, only to miss and end up tumbling onto his back with a squawk of surprise and a mess of flapping wings. Azrael chuckled as bright blue eyes looked upside down at him from the ground before Samael broke into uncontrollable laughter which Michael joined him in, holding his stomach.
"Silly little things," Azrael muttered as he watched Michael pull Samael up to his feet again. He wanted to join them in their game but it was tradition that everyone prepared some sort of presentation for Father when he'd visit. It didn't have to be big, but Azrael felt he was currently in a rut and coming up with boring and unimpressive ideas of what to show. "Hmm, I better see if I can better my growing spell. Maybe this time I won't destroy a tree."
* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *
Michael giggled as he ran off a little with the ball while Samael tried to flap his wings free of any possible grass that had gotten into his feathers. They both knew their siblings would help them later in cleaning their wings again but they didn't want to seem ungrateful towards the hard work their siblings had put into cleaning them earlier.
That and Michael didn't want Samael to get scolded by Sera again.
Running a bit back, Michael turned around and kicked the ball himself, smiling victoriously as it went sailing through the air with ease. He hadn't found it so hard to hit but maybe that was because he was the bigger twin. While he had large wings too, they weren't nearly as massive as Sammy's were compared to his size. Urie had once said it was probably why Sammy was clumsy sometimes, that his wings threw off his balance.
"Catch Sammy!" Michael called out as the ball started to fall towards him. Sammy had only just managed to get completely up from the ground when the ball struck him right in the face before bouncing off into a tree. Sammy, who wasn't ready to get hit by the ball, tumbled backwards again with a yelp of surprise. Horrified, Michael rushed over to his twin, checking on the younger child. "Sammy, are you okay?"
"I'mth okage," Samael answered with a slightly stuffy voice. Michael watched mortified as a thin line of ichor started to run from Sammy's nose to his chin and then dripped onto his clothes. Even his face was flushing yellow from where the ball struck him and yet Samael still smiled at his brother. "Where the ball?"
Unsure if he should even be worrying about the ball or if he should get someone, anyone older really, to help them, Michael took a firm hold of Samael's face to make sure that nothing else had happened. What if Sera saw them now? Would she get mad? Would she freak out? Sera was always worrying about them getting hurt and now he had hurt Sammy, his baby brother. Would she yell at him? Blame him? Sera hardly ever scolded him, so the idea of her suddenly yelling at him had Michael terrified.
After all, it was bad enough when she was scolding Sammy. Michael loved Sera a lot but she could be awful scary sometimes.
"Sammy, are you sure?" Michael asked checking him over. "you're bleeding... maybe I get Raphy or Urie-"
"No, no. Imma okay," Sammy just wiped his nose in his sleeve, indifferent to his ichor staining his clothes. Instantly, the bright blue eyes started searching for the ball, the fledgling eager to continue their game of catch. It wasn't every day that they just got to play after all so he didn't want their fun to end early. Besides it was only a small hit. It barely hurt. "Where ball, Mikey?"
Relieved that at least Samael wasn't crying, Michael looked around in hopes of spotting the orb of light so they could continue their game. He knew they could always ask Uriel or Jophiel to make a new one for them but the twins also knew from Sera that they were all busy with their own things in preparation for Father's visit. They didn't want to bother them unless they absolutely had to.
"I don't see it," Michael squinted his eyes, trying to see if he could spot their missing toy when he finally spotted it trapped between some branches in a tree. "Wait! There it is!"
The tree wasn't particularly high, but the branches were tightly packed and entangled with one another. It would certainly require one of the twins to climb a little to get it unless they asked someone to help them since neither of them could fly yet. Michael was debating whether or not to go and get someone when he noticed Samael trying to jump up and reach a branch so he could climb the tree.
"Sammy wait!" Michael quickly called out, making Samael pause as he looked curiously at him. Michael could already imagine if Samael climbed the tree, his robes would get dirty and Sera would have another reason to nag Samael beyond the bit of ichor on his clothes. But if they both got a little messy, then she couldn't focus on Sammy only, right? "I'll get it. I throw it."
"You sure?" Sammy was actually surprised. Michael wasn't very fond of heights yet. "It's up pretty high..."
"Yeah, I'll get it," Michael insisted, giving Samael a quick hug. "I don't want Sera to get mad at you for getting your clothes dirty. Besides, it's my fault."
Michael glanced up at the tree, deeming that it wasn't that high up. The tree Sammy had climbed their first day out had been much taller he was sure, and as the older brother, Michael was certain he couldn't let something as minor as 'height' scare him. He needed to show his brother how to be brave after all.
So with a deep breath and a tiny jump, Michael started to climb the tree.
He quickly discovered that he had been right that climbing the tree would be dirty work, the bark already rubbing slimy grime off onto the clean white fabric. He figured it was a good thing now so that Samael wasn't the only one with stained clothes. That meant Sera couldn't get upset, right? Struggling a little, Michael stuck his tongue out to concentrate as he moved from one branch to another while Samael watched dutifully from the ground, calling to him every once in a while that he was almost there.
After a few trials and errors, Michael finally managed to reach the branches where the ball lay waiting. Michael grinned proudly as he heard Sammy cheering for him from the ground, applauding his twin for having climbed his first tree without falling. Michael felt his cheeks flush with pride, thinking how he could tell Father he had climbed a tree for the first time today as his thing to share. They had both been told that it was okay if they had nothing to share, that just being happy and eager to see him was enough since they were so little. But Michael had been a little worried that all he could share was that he was listening during their lessons when Samael could tell about finding luff nests and exploring fearlessly Heaven whenever Sera was looking the other way.
But this... this was something impressive to share right? He could brag about it, couldn't he?
"Mikey be careful!" Sammy suddenly yelled from the ground, worry clear in his voice. "You're wings are-"
"OW!" Michael yelped in pain as he leaned towards the ball when he felt a painful tug on his wings. Confused, Michael looked behind himself to see why his wings hurt only to panic when he saw his upper wings were tangled into the twisting branches behind him. He tried to tug his wings back only to whimper when not only didn't he get his wings free, but he felt like something sticky was sticking his feathers together. "Sammy, I'm stuck!"
"Can you get down?" Sammy called back, shifting from foot to foot as he tried to see if he could help his brother from the ground. There wasn't enough space for him to climb up to him after all. "You move?"
"No," Michael whimpered, hugging the tree tightly as he felt the tears starting to slowly brim in his eyes. "Sammy, it hurts. Want Sera."
"I get help!" Sammy quickly yelled and started to run as fast as he could back towards the stairs. "Don't cry, Mikey! I'll be back!"
* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *
"Zizi! I need help!"
Azrael had been sitting on the floor just outside the door, trying to think of what he could present to their father when Lucifer came running up to him as quickly as he could. He had thought of maybe showing off a shadow spell, something he had been working on for a while. He was thinking of using it to help entertain the twins when Uriel was telling them stories or maybe make the history lessons Sera gave them a little easier for them to understand, but so far he had only managed to collect the shadow into a ball that he could bounce.
He had been trying to reshape it when he heard Samael's cry for help, causing the sphere to pop as he lost his concentration. A little miffed, Azrael turned around to give his baby brother a rather deadpanned look with his frosty gray eyes before leaping to his feet when the little tripped in his robe for a second time and face-planted hard into the floor.
"Samael! Are you okay?" scrambling to get over to him, Azrael picked the little one up by the arms and set him on his feet, given a sigh of relief when he saw that beyond a small bruise on his forehead and scrapped palms, Samael seemed alright. "Sammy, buddy. You can't run around like that, okay? You could have really hurt yourself-"
"Zizi, I need your help," Samael urged on, completely indifferent to his small injuries, and grabbed Azrael's hand. It surprised the nine-year-old looking angel just hold hard the little one could yank his arm as he tried to pull him along. "Come quick!"
"Whoah, Sammy, calm down," Azrael gently reached out and picked the little fledgling up, mentally amused that he was still so small that he could pick him up. "What's wrong? What do you need help with?"
He figured it probably had to do with the light orb that Raphael had made them. Maybe they had lost it or it had popped. Azrael wasn't sure how long Raphael's orbs could last when the twins were tossing and kicking it around. It wasn't exactly gentle play after all.
"Zizi! Down!" Samael whined as Azrael held him in a hug above the ground, his small feet kicking uselessly in the air. "We need to go. Mikey needs help."
"Oh did he lose the ball?" Azrael chuckled a little. "Cause I can probably make one for you too-"
"No, he's stuck tree!" Samael protested. Azrael paused for a moment before sighing.
"Oh, okay. So you want me to get him to jump down or-" Azrael huffed, wondering how it was possible for an angel to be afraid of heights. 'I wonder if Sera did the same to him as she did Zadkiel. If she did, Uriel is gonna-'
"He can't," Samael insisted. "He's wings are stuck in the tree and he can't get loose."
Without another word, Azrael put Samael down and started running back to where he had seen the twins playing. If Michael's wings had gotten tangled in the branches, then he needed to hurry. Michael was easy to scare after all and if he slipped out of the tree with his wings bound there was a good chance he course tear out his feathers if not break his wings. That was the last thing any of them needed, especially when Father was coming to visit. What a sight that would be!
Reaching the gardens again, it didn't take long for Azrael to find where Michael was. The poor fledgling was trying his hardest not to wail from the pain, whimpering loudly every time his wings twitched with unease. Azrael winced when he saw how entangled his wings were, the upper wings almost rivaling Ariel and Raphael's when they went plant hunting. The difference was though, those two had gotten used to the tugging feeling of twigs and leaves and sap on their feathers. Michael was still just a baby and his wings were far more sensitive.
"Hey Michael, you okay buddy?" Flying up slowly to him, Azrael gently wiped the tears from his eyes, wanting to assure the little one first before he did anything else. "Sammy said you needed some help."
Michael nodded, looking utterly miserable.
"I stuck," Michael whimpered with a flinch as his wings twitched nervously. "Hurts..."
"I bet," Azrael assured him, trying to figure out if he could untangle the branches at all. From the look of it, he might be able to but it was likely to hurt a lot of Michael which he wasn't sure his little brother would be happy about. No, he'd rather deal with an angry Raph and Ary than an even more upset and wailing Michael. He was sure he could get those two to understand. "Just hold on for a bit okay? I'm gonna get you free in just a bit."
Careful to not touch Michael, Azrael allowed some of his power to seep into his fingers as he touched the branches one by one. Azrael had never understood why his powers were so different from his siblings, nor why he had to look so different from the rest of them, but Sera and Father had always said he would understand someday. Azrael was pretty sure it was just their secretive way of saying 'I don't know' but today he was happy that his relationship with plants seemed to lead to wilting and decay. Once the branches died, Azrael gently snapped them in half, freeing Michael's wings one feather at a time. He couldn't do much about the sap he had gotten on himself but a bath could fix that easily.
"Okay, buddy. I've got you," Azrael assured his little brother once all three wings were free. Michael looked utterly relieved to be free as he quickly wrapped his arms tightly around his neck, hugging him tight. "Argk! Not so tight Mikey. Don't worry. I'll get you down, safe and sound."
"The ball..." Michael whimpered as he pointed at the tree. "Can we bring it too?"
Looking into those big blue teary eyes, Azrael didn't stand a chance of saying no. Reaching out a hand as quick as he could, he knocked the ball out of the tree and down towards the ground where Samael now stood waiting for them both.
"Heads up Sammy," Azrael called as he slowly descended to the ground, touching down softly as he hugged Michael close. "There ya go, Mikey. You're okay now."
In the meantime Samael was keeping his eye on the ball, rushing forward to catch it.
"I got it!" He called out, his arms out ready to catch the ball. "I gotWAAH!"
Before Samael knew what had happened, his foot snagged once more on the damnable robe, sending him stumbling and crashing right into Azrael and Michael. With a yell of surprise, the trio found themselves tumbling forward, like into a bush that for whatever reason was neon pink and covered in tiny thorns.
* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *
And so, that was how Jophiel found herself looking at three very messy-looking and scratched-up brothers with three different expressions on their faces. Michael looked like he was in pain and crying in Azrael's arms, while Azrael looked like he just wanted to call it a day and roll into bed. And Samael... Samael looked oddly calm as he did his best to hold his wings up high to keep them clean.
Ironically enough, they were the only thing about any of them that was clean.
"Wha-(giggle)what happened to you three?" She asked, struggling not to laugh at how silly they all looked.
"I fall," Samael answered with the most straightforward face she had ever seen on someone so small. He then pointed at Azrael who was blushing hot yellow from embarrassment as Sammy ousted him. "Michael was stuck in a tree and Zizi helped him down. Then I fell and knocked Zizi and Mikey into a bush. It had poky things."
"Thorns, Sammy," Azrael sighed as he put Michael down, flinching as gently found one thorny branch stuck to his side. "They are called thorns."
"It popped our ball." Sammy pouted as Jophiel cooed at them.
"You poor little things," putting the dolls down, Jophiel walked over to each of them, giving them a quick once over and giving them a soft kiss on their foreheads. Using a little magic, she managed to clean them up, removing the twigs, sap, and scratch marks they had gotten from their misadventures. When she reached Azrael, she could see the boy looked embarrassed over having gotten his brothers into such an unsightly state. "You did a fine job Azrael. You're a wonder big brother for Michael and Samael."
"I got them dirty."
"They are little. They will always get dirty. That's what baths and spells are for," She assured him as she fixed his hair a little. "They needed your help and you came. That's what big brothers and sisters do. Now why don't you go rest a bit? I can watch these two."
Azrael gave her a lopsided grin before nodding. Wordlessly, he gave them each a hug before turning to leave, eager to go back to his bed and get some sleep. Once he left, Jophiel turned her attention back to the twins who were already making themselves comfortable in her room. Michael, who clearly felt that he had been through a terrible and stressful ordeal, had climbed up onto Jophiel's bed and curled up to take a nap. Judging by how messy his feathers had looked when they came back, she was sure that the little one was exhausted.
Samael however, was exploring like he always did. It was the first time either one of them were in her room and while her room wasn't anything special in her eyes, Samael felt he had discovered a whole new world.
"Jojo, what's that?" Samael pointed at her worktable where the dolls lay unfinished. She had only finished sewing in their stuffing when Azrael had shown up with the pair in tow. "Are they your toys?"
"Not exactly Sammy," She laughed as she gestured for him to join her. Excited, Samael started to walk towards her with his stumbled over the hem of his robe again. "Goodness, having you been tripping a lot in that robe today, Sammy?"
"Yeah," Samael sighed as he pulled on the robe with a look of annoyance. "Sera said it was too long too but I'll just have to grow more. I tripping in it too when we fall in bush."
Jophiel frowned a little as she looked at the robe. It looked like it was the one she and their other sisters had worn during Father's visits, which made sense since they were smaller than the boys had been. But even on Sammy, the darn thing pulled around his feet, causing him to snag on it constantly if he wasn't careful. Now Jophiel knew it was tradition for them to leave the hand-me-down clothes unchanged for the next batch to wear, but the twins were the last ones and there was no way that Michael would ever get to wear the robes Samael was so...
"Come here for a moment, Sammy. I might be able to help you with that."
Lifting him onto a stool to stand, Jophiel quickly set to work pinning the hem up with needles and then took some thread. Taking care not to poke him, she worked calmly to stitch the hem up to just above his ankles. Samael watched fascinated as she worked, his bright eyes filled with wonder at her skills with a needle. It was almost adorable how amazed he was with her simple skill but when Jophiel actually thought about it, this was the first time Samael had ever seen what sewing was.
"There, that should help," Jophiel smiled as she admired her handy work. Samael smiled as he gave the robe a quick twirl and then dashed about the room with joy as he tested to see if he would trip in the clothes gain. "Ease now, Sammy, why don't you take a nap with Mikey? I need to finish these before Father arrives."
"What this?" Rather than joining Michael on the bed, Samael tried to peer over the edge of the table at the dolls Jophiel was making, his blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"I'm sewing a surprise for you and Mikey to play and sleep with," Jophiel answered with a smile, flicking her hand gently to conjure a stool for Samael to sit next to her. "I'm hoping it's something you both will like."
Samael looked in awe as Jophiel returned to her project. He watched closely as she threaded the needle and selected different types of fabric to make outfits and wings for the dolls as well as a set of blue pearls for the eyes. When she started looking at what she could make the hair out of, Samael suddenly tugged on her sleeve to get her attention.
"Can I try it? Sewing?" He asked, his eagerness making his wings flutter behind him curiously. "I wanna try. Can you teach me Jojo?"
Jophiel was a bit surprised that he was at all interested in trying to sew. In all her years of life as well as helping Sera out with her younger siblings, no one had shown any interest in her skill of sewing until now. It was just seen as he odd little hobby with benefits. She even thought for a moment Samael was teasing her, but he looked so eager and sincere to try that she couldn't help but feel he meant it.
"I... suppose. Here," searching her workbench for a minute, she found some scrap fabric, needle, and thread and handed it to Samael. "Now, the first thing to do is think of what you want to sew. Then you thread the needle like this and..."
* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *
When God reentered heaven, he smiled with pride and joy as his children flocked to him with warm and loving greetings. He knew he had been away from them for a long time this time, but he argued with himself that it couldn't be helped. After all, he was still dealing with some of the other entities that lived beyond his realm, the greedy beings often trying to sneak their way in and corrupt his perfect world or steal it from him. His angels were strong little beings after all, each of them destined to become great warriors in the future but for now, they were still young and innocent and he liked that they existed to simply bring him joy.
He loved hearing Uriel give off his detailed reports of what he had missed since his last visit which was when the twins had hatched. He felt soothed by Zadkiel's singing while Raphael and Camael played their instruments for him. He praised Ariel as she excitedly told him about her new discovery regarding the luffs though he wasn't sure why she kept mentioning Samael in her findings. Had the little one helped her? And speaking of his little ones, as his many eyes glanced about him, he could find neither hide nor hair of the pair as well as Jophiel and Azrael. Azreal wasn't too surprising, the boy tended to give in to his pouts when things didn't go as he had hoped. He would just appear later.
But Jophiel... Jophiel was always on time, his little angel of beauty and grace. She was proud of her role of setting an example for her brothers and sisters. She was always on time and neatly dressed, her curly hair set in some form or another fashionable style, accompanied by either Ariel or Zadkiel wearing a matching style.
So for her not to be among the first to greet him was unusual.
Sera seemed frazzled as well, looking nervously around for the twins to present them to him. He was curious as to how the pair were doing and how much they had grown and changed over the years, recalling how fearful Michael had been waking up in the palm of his hand where as Samael had awoken with a mischievous grin and immediately trying to climb and run about in his hold. Thank the power that be, Gabriel was as fast a flyer as he was because the little one had nearly taken a tumble off his hand and fallen to the ground. God was certain that his little Samael would be at the center of many mischievous tales as he grew and he couldn't wait to see what wonders the child would create.
"Sorry we're late Father," Looking up, God smiled kindly as he saw the last four of his angels hurrying into the room, the twins held safely in Jophiel's arms before she put them down. No sooner had Michael's feet touched the ground, than he let out a squeak of fear before and ducked behind Jophiel to hide. "Michael and Samael needed a little help getting cleaned up after playing."
"We fell into a bush!" Samael announced proudly as his wings fluttered, the feathers slightly ruffled from still being wet. Sera grimaced as she thought of how messy the little one looked but Samael didn't care. "Mikey and I were playing and Zizi helped us when the ball got stuck in a tree and he helped Michael-."
"Umm, you don't need to tell everyone that, Samael," Azrael felt his cheeks flush yellow as he tried to pick Samael up and keep him quiet. He could already feel Sera's questioning stare as well as the judgemental ones from Ariel and Raphael when they heard a tree was involved. "It's nothing to brag about."
"Yes it," Samael protested, smiling adoringly at him. "Mikey was stuck and you helped him, Zizi."
"Did he now," God gently murmured so that he would neither frighten the youngest of his children nor hurt any of their ears. "What a good brother you have been for the twins 'Zizi'-" He chuckled a little at the name, unsure of why Azrael had had his name shortened, while he reached out and gently patted his head in praise. "I take it you love your big brother a lot, Samael?"
"Ah ha! I love everyone!" Samael cheered unashamed, twisting slightly in Azrael's hold to give him a tight hug around the neck. "Zizi gives the best hugs. And Urie-"
God watched amused as Samael happily chatted away about what he loved best about each of his siblings without a care in the world. It was surprising how quickly Samael could talk, the words pouring out of him a mile a minute like a waterfall. In what felt like the blink of an idea, God had learned that Uriel told the best stories, Ariel knew the neatest of animals and plants, Sera gave them the best snacks and Gabriel knew the coolest tricks to do while flying. He also learned that Camael was the best to tumble with and Zadkiel sang the prettiest lullabyes.
"-and I always have really REALLY nice dreams when she sings with Ary and Jojo," Samael rambled endlessly on to everyone's amusement as he sat in Azrael's lap. About midway through his rambling, the nine-year-old had gotten tired of holding his brother while standing so he had sat down to rest instead. "Oh! And Jojo fixed my clothes. Look!"
Before anyone could react, Samael shot out of Azrael's hold and showed off his robe to their father. In honesty, God couldn't see anything different about the outfit, it was just a plain white robes just like what the rest wore but Samael seemed insistent that it had been altered on a noticeable level. So God tried to see if he could spot the difference between the outfit now and the last time he had seen it was... was... well, it hardly mattered. He was hear now.
"See? Jojo made it shorter," Samael grinned as Michael, who was feeling brave now walked up to him. "Right Mikey?"
"Ah ha, it was really long before and Sammy kept falling cause he stepped on it," Michael added, feeling braver now that Samael had ensured Father wasn't upset with them being late. It honestly didn't help that for some reason their father liked to appear first as a giant, towering over Heaven, before he slowly shrank to a more manageable size. He was still massive to the twins but at least now he appeared to be about two or three heads taller than Uriel which was acceptable for the young nervous angel. "And Sera said not to get dirty which was hard when his feet gets caught all the time-"
"So Jojo sewed it up for me and now I can't trip!" Samael beamed at his sister with absolute pride and joy, making the oldest girl's cheeks blush hotly.
She hadn't been ready for Sammy to be that impressed but something as simple as hemming his robes. It was some of the simplest things she could do as all it required was for her to pin the robe a bit and then do a simple loop stitch. As Samael grew, they would be able to undo the stitch and lower the hem as needed until he completely outgrew it. Yet Samael was making it sound like some amazing feat like Uriel's magic or Gabriel's aerial acrobatics.
"Oh! And Jojo taught me how to sew too!" Samael suddenly added with a beaming smile that could rival the sun's rays. "Look what I made?"
He squirmed a little in Azrael's hold, silently telling him to put him down. Once his feet touched the ground, Samael yanked at the neck opening of his robes. He seemed to be looking for something down his robe, before he suddenly grabbed the hem and lifted it high, shaking it wildly as if to knock something loose. Sera gasped in horror and covered her face in embarrassment as Samael more or less flashed everyone his underthings shamelessly, though God seemed to find it amusing. He understood perfectly well that twins were too young to understand such things as modesty. After a minute of hopping about and shaking his clothes, something fell out from its depths and landed on the ground with a flop. Sammy gave a cheer of success as he quickly dropped his hem and picked up the odd object before showing it proudly to their father.
"Look it! I made it myself!" Rushing over to him, God, bent down to pick the smallest of his children up in his arms and grinned at him, his two main eyes fixed firmly on the child while the others shifted from angel to angel, making sure they each felt they were seen. "Do you like it?"
If God could describe the object in one word, it would be ugly or malformed. It was an oval-shaped mass made out of white fabric and he would have assumed it was a ball if it wasn't for the two long floppy appendages it had on its sides. The appendices were triangle-like in shape, though they seemed to have some oddly pinched parts to them which he wasn't sure were mistakes or intentional. The right one was longer too and neither were in the center of the oval body. They also hung limply by the sides, making it look rather depressed despite the little one's absolute joy of having made it.
'What is it?' God thought nervously, afraid to ask as Samael looked eagerly at him for his feedback. Should he tell the child the truth, that it was ugly? Or should he just accept it as a lovely first attempt given that it wasn't expected for either of them to give him anything for the first visit?
"You don't like it?" Came the nervous question as God realized he had been silent for too long, looking at the weird mass he was presented with. "I worked really hard on it..."
"I'm sure Father loves it, Samael," Jophiel quickly stepped in, sensing that Samael would probably start crying in disappointment any minute now. "You did an amazing job sewing your luff."
"Ah, yes, it is as your sister says, Samael," Father quickly added, relieved that Jophiel had name-dropped whatever the heck the misshapen figure was. Now that he knew what he was supposed to be looking at he could see it sort of looked like a luff. A very messed up and malformed one. "You've done a very fine job for your first time, Samael."
Samael didn't look very convinced by their father's words, but Jophiel had looked really proud of him as he had sat next to him, teaching him slowly step by step how to sew the stuffie all by himself. He had pricked himself too on the needle a few times but it hadn't deterred him from continuing his attempt to make his own stuffie like Jophiel was making. So that Father didn't seem all that impressed by something he had made after his first attempt... it left him feeling a little disappointed.
"Don't worry, Samael," Jophiel assured him as she hugged him tightly. "This is your first time making something. You'll get better with more practice. I just know it."
"You think so, Jojo?" Samael asked, still looking at his luff with less pride than before. Bright blue eyes looked unsure at her and for a moment, Jophiel was afraid that Samael had lost the will to learn the skill from her before he hugged her close. "You help, yes?"
"Of course, I will help you Samael. It would be a pleasure to teach you." She told him before setting him down on the ground. Their father had turned his attention over to Azrael who was talking about how he was working on bending shadows to take different shapes. Crouching down and waving Michael over to her, Jophiel gave both twins a soft hug and reached behind her back. "Now then, you've both said hello to Father so why do you both go play? But first, I have a little something for you two."
They both looked curiously at her as she pulled two finished rag dolls out and held them out to each of them. In an instant, both Samael and Michael squealed in delight, happily embracing each of their dolls as they looked them over. It was obvious that Jophiel had sewn them a pair of angel dolls but when the pair started to compare the dolls, their wing started to flutter with excitement as they saw the similarities.
"It looks like Mikey!" Samael cried with joy, hugging his close with a brilliant smile.
"And mine looks like Sammy!" Michael echoed, the pair completely unaware that they were drawing attention to themselves once more as they excitedly hugged Jophiel around the neck.
"We love them!" they called in chorus and giggled. "Thank you, Jojo!"
"You're welcome little ones." Jophiel smiled as she gave each of them a kiss on the crowns of their heads and then gently sent them off. "Now go play you two. Father probably wants to talk about adult things now, so you two can go play with Azrael, Camel, and Zadkiel. Alright?"
Eager to play with their new toys, the twins nodded their heads quickly and ran off without so much as a word goodbye. It made Jophiel giggle when she noticed Samael had dropped his luff stuffie on the ground. Picking it up, she looked over the toy, noticing all the small and large flaws it had, where the stitching was weak or too tight, and where Samael had clearly been impatient to finish on time. It had all the hallmark mistakes of a rushed job by someone who barely knew what they were doing and yet... she had never seen anything so wonderful in all her years of living. That, despite its misshapen form, there was a lot of love and hard work put into a rather difficult first-time attempt.
And in honesty, she could say for his very first attempt at sewing, Samael had done a pretty good job at it.
"That's supposed to be a luff?" Gabriel asked, looking over her shoulder as she held the toy in her hand, gently brushing off any dirt that had gotten onto it. "No offense to Samael but it's not very... well..."
"It's his first time, Gabriel," Uriel scolded lightly, though he had a hard time not laughing at the floppy example of a sphere with wings. "No one is perfect the first time they try something."
"It really is kind of ugly, huh?" Jophiel mused as she hugged the toy close. "Don't you just love it?"
After that, while Samael never asked what had happened to his luff stuffie, Jophiel, Samael and Michael enjoyed spending time bounding together over tiny sewing projects, though Michael had joined them more because he wanted to spend time together with Sammy and her than he was interested in learning to sew. Samael thrived during Jophiel's lessons and although his talent for sewing was never as good as Jophiel's was, he did master enough basic skills to make small versions of different ideas he had or creatures he dreamt up.
As for the luff, Jophiel had placed the odd little stuffie high on one of her shelves to be placed on display. It was one of her greatest treasures after all, a momento of her first personal bonding moment with the twins without anyone else.
That, and it made perfect blackmail material against Samael when he was older, not that she knew it then.
AN: Does it confuse anyone else out there when parents dress little children up in something they don't want them to get dirty only to get shocked that said kids get it dirty? When I worked as teacher's aid in a 1st grade class, there was this one girl who's mom set her to school wearing 800 crowns (roughly 115 USD) pantyhose and then lost it when the born tore them playing soccer. I think the closest my daughter's worn that cost that much was her whole winter clothes get up (snow suit, boots, hoodie, and gloves) and even that was like about 500 crowns (72 USD) cause we can get some pretty cold winters here. The dumbest thing was that the pantyhose the kid wore looked like the $10 ones you can get at Wallmart or H&M.
Some parents just confuse me to no ends.
Also, curious question to anyone out there who grew up bilingual. Did you guys also have a home where the language just switched at a constant. My sister and I remember clearly growing up when we would play together, just the two of us, we would start in one language, run into a word we couldn't remember in that language and then switch to the other for a bit before doing it again vise versa. I kind of wish my parents had recorded it back then because it was such a strange thing for our friends to experience her and I just jumping languages at random, having this weird mixed speech. Our teachers often got upset at us for doing it during breaks cause they thought we were talking smack about them when we weren't. I think it's still something we do to this day as don't English and Danish are sort of my first languages.
As for Azrael's nickname 'Zizi'. I had originally thought of using 'Azzy', but then I though that sounds more like a nickname that would be used to bully him, so Zizi it was.